England head coach Steve Borthwick previews Six Nations at launch in Rome
France and Wales kicked off the Six Nations under the Friday night lights in Paris and another thrilling edition of rugby’s greatest annual championship begun with Les Bleus routing their outclassed visitors 43-0.
Warren Gatland’s side are winless since the 2023 World Cup having gone the entirety of 2024 without Test success, and never looked like breaking that duck in Paris despite a promising first 10 minutes. After that period, France stepped things up and ran riot against their young opponents.
The hosts welcomed back captain Antoine Dupont after his absence was keenly felt last year and the world’s best player proved exactly why he has that title with a scintillating first-half display that saw him directly assist three of the four tries in the opening 40 minutes.
Les Bleus ran in three more tries after the break but didn’t enjoy a perfect evening as Romain Ntamack was sent off late on for a reckless hit to the head of Ben Thomas, meaning he may well miss the next couple of games for Fabien Galthie’s side as they chase just a second tournament triumph since 2010.
Relive all of the action from the opening clash at the Stade de France in our live blog below:
Liam Williams admits reaching 100 caps for Wales would be ‘icing on the cake’
Liam Williams has his sights set on securing membership of Wales’ 100-cap club as he prepares for another Six Nations campaign.
Williams is senior statesman among the Wales backs, returning to Six Nations action after missing last year’s tournament while he had a stint in Japanese rugby with Kubota Spears.
And while he is enjoying mentoring some of Wales’ young and inexperienced players, the 33-year-old also still has plenty to offer on the pitch.
A 93rd cap comes tonight against France in Friday’s Six Nations opener, and although Williams stresses it is “one game and one thing at a time”, ambition still burns brightly.
Luke Baker31 January 2025 19:50
The peculiar Wales selection that shows Warren Gatland’s muddled thinking ahead of crucial Six Nations
Ben Thomas gets first crack at fly half for Wales tonight, the versatile Cardiff man identified as a playmaker of the future by Warren Gatland even when many feeling his best position might be 12. Surely it might have made sense to have Gareth Anscombe in this Welsh squad?
Harry Latham-Coyle31 January 2025 19:40
France vs Wales
A very good evening from Paris, where it is disappointingly cold and wet, which is rather putting the dampener on the Six Nations’ return to the French capital. With Olympic preparations wiping out the Stade de France last year, Les Bleus went on a travelling roadshow, with Marseille and Lyon both lively destinations.
This feels like a homecoming, though, and there was palpable excitement on the crowded tram in. The expectation is a big France win – but opening weekends of this competition tend to throw up a surprise or two…
(Getty Images)
Harry Latham-Coyle at the Stade de France31 January 2025 18:42
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